Amusement device



g- 28, 1956 D. w. BENTON ET AL AMUSEMENT DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledMarch 15, 1955 INVENTORS DAVD \N. Ban-ran BY 6/ Pmup O-BENTON g- 28,1956 D. w. BENTON ETAL 2,7 0,773

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed March 15, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 'DAvmW. BENTON zzemwmm v AQW ATT QNEY5 United States Patent AMUSEMENT DEVICEDavid W. Benton and Philip 0. Benton, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 15, 1955, Serial No. 494,393

3 Claims. (Cl. 273-131) This invention relates to improvements in gamedevices involving a novel game board and game pieces movable thereon.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a game in whichthe game pieces are movable in definite series and which provide forseveral variations in play.

It is another object of this invention to provide a game board whichincludes a main playing area and optional side playing areas which maybe utilized under certain conditions in accordance with the rules ofplay and which require judgment and skill on the part of the players sothat the game can terminate with one side or the other emergingvictorious.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a game board whichis of relatively simple construction utilizing noncomplicated elementswhich may be readily and economically produced.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from a considerationof the following detailed description, forming the specification, andtaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a game board with game pieces and fencesthereon, in accordance With the present invention, as they appear at thestart of play;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of one set of game pieces showing theopposite sides or faces of the pieces from that shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a set of fences used in connectionwith the playing of the game;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially alongline 44 of Figure l; and

Figure 5 is a top plan view, similar to Figure 1, but

on a somewhat reduced scale, showing a distribution of game pieces onthe game board that may result during the course of play.

With continued reference to the drawings, the illustrated devicecomprises a game board, generally indicated at 10, two sets of gamepieces 12 and 14, respectively, to be employed by opposing players, thesets of game pieces being of different and preferably contrastingcolors, and two sets of fence units 16 and 18, respectively, ofcontrasting colors corresponding to the colors of the sets of gamepieces 12 and 14 used by the opposing players.

The game board 10 is generally rectangular andprovided adjacent itsopposite ends 20 and 22 with transversely elongated end zones 24 and 26,respectively, between the said ends and related ends 28 and 30 of themain playing field or area. Each of the end zones 24, 26 includes atransversely elongated Corral area 32, 34, each consisting of aplurality of rectangular boxes in side by side relation, the Corralareas being located adjacent to opposite sides of the game board, eachbox of a Corral being designated by a letter of the word Corral.

The playing area, upon which the game pieces 12 and 14 are to beselectively moved, comprises a square main playing area, generallyindicated at 36, and longitudinally elongated side zones 38 and 40separated from the main nice area by respective line strips 42 and 44which extend between opposite ends 28 and 30 of the playing area inzig-zag fashion.

The main or central playing area 36 consists of sixtyfour squares,alternate ones of the squares being of contrasting colors. Thus, thecentral playing area is in the form of a checker board.

The side zone 38 is composed of two longitudinally extending rows 48 and50 of squares of alternating colors which extend from the end 28 of themain playing area and are transversely aligned with the first sixtransverse rows of the main playing area 36, with a fence storage area52 defined at the end of the side zone 38 adjacent the end 30 of themain playing area. Similarly, the side zone 40 is composed of a pair oflongitudinally extending rows 54 and 56 of squares of alternating colorswhich extend from the end 39 of the main playing area andaretransversely aligned with the first six transverse rows of theplaying area, with a fence storage area 58 defined atthe end of the sidezone 41 adjacent the end 28 of the main playing area, area 58 being atthe corner of the main playing area diagonally opposite to the corner ofthe main playing area at which the fence storage area 52 is disposed.

In the longitudinally aligned row of squares of the main playing area 36next adjacent the row 50 of the side zone 38 and in the longitudinallyaligned row of squares of the main playing area 36 next adjacent the row56 of the side zone 40 are blank squares 60 and 62 respectively, havingkeyhole shaped designs 68 and 70, respectively, thereon of contrastingcolors corresponding to the colors of the game pieces and fence units.The bar portions of the designs 68 and 70 connect with the adjacentcontrastingly colored squares of the row of the main playing area 36next adjacent the rows 50 and 56 of the side zones 33 and 40. Certainrules of the game provide for use of the designs 68 and 70, as fullyexplained hereinafter.

The game pieces of the sets 12 and 14 are circular discs having embossedon one face thereof a pictorial representation of a horses head in adepressed circular recess, so that the embossing will not extend abovethe rim of the disc. The other faces of the discs are pro? vided withembossings in the form of a single alphabetical letter of the wordCorral, each set of game pieces being twelve in number, enabling aplayer to spell out Corral twice. Each of the fence units comprises sixgenerally rectangular panels 72 having a cylindrical peg 74 centrallydepending from one longitudinal edge thereof, to fit into openings 76 inthe game board in the storage areas 52 and 58 the openings beingarranged in transversely spaced longitudinal rows in the respectivestorage areas 52'-and 58. Thus, each fence set of six panels may bemaintained in upstanding position in the storage areas, as shown inFigure 1.

As shown in Figure 1, each of the portions of the zigzag line strip 42is provided at its central point with an opening 82, the respectiveopenings all lying along the line 78 constituting the line of merger ofthe row 50 of the side zone 38 with the first six transverse rows of theplaying area 36. Each of the portions of the zigzag strip 44 is likewiseprovided at its central point with an opening 82, the respectiveopenings all lying along the line 80 constituting the line of merger ofthe row 56 of the side zone 40 with the first six transverse rows of theplaying area 36.

In the playing of the game of this invention, one set of game pieces andone set of fence panels is selected by each opposing player. The gamepieces are placed on the dark squares of the first three transverse rowsbetween the strips 42 and 44, asshown in Figure 1. The fence panels aredisposed in the respective storage areas 52 and 58 at opposite ends ofthe game board, as indicated in Figure 1, and are disposed at theplayers right. The game pieces are moved alternately by each player.lumps are made and game pieces captured in the same manner as in aregular game of checkers. As a game piece is captured, the capturingplayer turns it over and places it on a related one of the squares ofthe Corral areas 32 or 34. At the time the game piece is captured, thecapturing player has the right to put up one panel of his fence panelsalong the line strips or fence line corresponding to the color of hisgame pieces and of his fence panels. If a player captures two or moregame pieces in one jump or one series of jumps, he may still put up onlyone panel of his fence set, but he may also take one panel of hisopponents fence set from its storage area, or he may retrieve a fencepanel of his own fence set which may have been previously captured byhis opponent.

A fence panel of the opposing player, captured in the manner set forth,may only be placed in the holes 84 provided in a longitudinal row at theintersections of darker colored squares 46 within the related one of theside zones which side zones may be termed Corrals for the purposes ofthe game. Captured fence panels are to be disposed only within the sidezone or Corral of the opposing player, as shown at 86 and 88 in Figure5. Fence panels disposed within the opponents Corral define stops tokeep the opponent from moving his game pieces about Within the Corral inan effort to get out of the Corral and may thereby retrieve his own gamepieces.

A retrieved fence panel is used in the same manner as before capture.

A player may sacrifice a move in order to move his captured game pieceswithin the Corral or out of the Corral, moving only one square at atime. However, a game piece cannot he jumped out of the Corral or jumpany panel of the fence. A player can sacrifice only one move at a time.

All captured game pieces which have been retrieved or moved out of aCorral back into the main playing area are to be turned over and canthen be moved in any direction, one square at a time. Also, the gamepieces that reach the king-row, as in regular checkers, are to be turnedover and may then be moved in any direction, one square at a time. Therules may also provide that turned checks from a Corral or side zone orfrom a king-row can be taken off the board by the related player, ifdesired, only when it is possible for the player to move such a gamepiece to a specifically marked blank square 60 or 62, and furtherprovided that the game piece be actually moved to such square.

By being able to take such turned game pieces off the board, theopposing player may be prevented from completing the spelling of theword Corral which forms an important object of the game. When a playersown game piece has been taken off the board in the manner hereinbeforeprescribed, the game piece may be stored in the players end zone 24 oras to the left of the Corral areas 32 or 34, as shown at 9% and 92 inFigure 5. However, a player is discounted a certain number of points, asfor instance, five points in the game for each of his own game piecesthat he removes in this manner.

The Corral areas 32, 34 at the right of the players in the respectiveend zones 24 and 26, may be employed for storing surplus captured gamepieces not needed for the spelling of the word Corral. These capturedgame pieces when available, may be used to rebuild the word Corral inthe event the opposing player has been successful in retrieving a gamepiece from the Corral or side zone at a previous time during the playingof the game.

Captured game pieces labeled C or L, if retained at the end of the game,count for a given number of points, for instance, ten points each. Othercaptured game pieces which are retained and can be arranged in properspelling order forward from the letter C" or backward from the letter Lcan be counted at point value at ten each. An extra ten points, forinstance, are gained by the completion of the word Corral. This makes atotal of seventy points. These points count the same either in theCorral or side zones or the Corral areas 32, 34.

The game is completed when one player has exhausted his supply of gamepieces upon the main playing area 36 of the board, or when he cannot amove with the pieces on the board without being captured. The playerwith the highest number of points in the Corral and in the related area32 or 34 after the deletion of points for game pieces removed from theboard, is declared the winner. in addition, to other points, the playermay be given a certain number of points, for instance, five points toreach uncaptured game piece remaining on the game board.

Other rules are applicable when playing a series of games, with regardto gaining and totaling points to determine a Winner.

It Will be apparent that the fence panels 16 and 18 may be disposed bythe players along the line strips or fence lines 42 or 44 of the colorscorresponding to the colors of the fence panels so as to restrictmovement of the game pieces 12 or 14, as the case may be, into and outof the side zones 38 and 3, which side zones define Corrals.

What is claimed is:

1. In a game, a rectangular game board having a square main playingarea, longitudinal side playing areas at opposite sides of said mainarea and extending from opposite sides of said main area to the sides ofthe playing surface, transversely elongated end zones at opposite endsof said main area, said main area and said side playing areas havinglongitudinal and transverse rows of alternately colored squares, saidrows being longitudinally and transversely aligned with each other, saidmain playing area being composed of the same number of longitudinal rowsas transverse rows, and said side playing zones being composed of fewerlongitudinal and transverse rows than said main playing area, meansseparating the main playing area from said side playing areas, two setsof game pieces arranged to be moved in opposition on squares of the rowsof the main playing area, a set of movable fence panels for each sideplaying area, and means for supporting the sets of fence panels of thesets initially along said separating means and subse quently andindividually within related side playing areas, said panels serving attimes to block moves of game pieces from squares of the main playingarea to squares in the side playing areas and between squares of theside playing areas.

2. In a game, a rectangular game board having a square main playingarea, longitudinal side playing areas at opposite sides of said mainarea and extending from opposite sides of said main area to the sides ofthe playing surface, transversely elongated end zones at opposite endsof said main area, said main area and said side playing areas havinglongitudinal and transverse rows of alternately colored squares, saidrows being longitudinally and transversely aligned with each other, saidmain playing area being composed of the same number of longitudinal rowsas transverse rows, and said side playing zones being composed of fewerlongitudinal and transverse rows than said main playing area, meansseparating the main playing area from said side playing areas, two setsof game pieces arranged to be moved in opposition on squares of the rowsof the main playing area, a set of movable fence panels for each sideplaying area, and means for supporting the sets of fence panels of thesets initially along said separating means and subsequently andindividually within related side playing areas, said panels serving attimes to block moves of game pieces from squares of the main playingarea to squares in the Side playing areas and between squares of theside playing areas, said separating means comprising line stripsarranged zig-zag fashion extending along the opposite sides of said mainplaying area, said lines having successive oppositely angulated portionsintersecting said sides of the main playing section and extendingdiagonally with respect to and into adjacent squares of the main andside playing areas.

3. In a game, a rectangular game board having a square main playingarea, longitudinal side playing areas at opposite sides of said mainarea and extending from opposite sides of said main area to the sides ofthe playing surface, transversely elongated end zones at opposite endsof said main area, said main area and said side playing areas havinglongitudinal and transverse rows of alternately colored squares, saidrows being longitudinally and transversely aligned with each other, saidmain playing area being composed of the same number of longitudinal rowsas transverse rows, and said side playing zones being composed of fewerlongitudinal and transverse roWs than said main playing area, meansseparating the main playing area from said side playing areas, two setsof game pieces arranged to be moved in opposition on squares of the rowsof the main playing area, a set of movable fence panels for each sideplaying area, and means for supporting the sets of fence panels of thesets initially along said separating means and subsequently andindividually within related side playing areas,

said panels serving at times to block moves of game pieces from squaresof the main playing area to squares in the side playing areas andbetween squares of the side playing areas, said separating meanscomprising line strips arranged in zig-zag fashion extending along theopposite sides of said main playing area, said lines having successiveoppositely angulated portions intersecting said sides of the mainplaying section and extending diagonally with respect to and intoadjacent squares of the main and side playing areas, said supportingmeans comprising first holes at the intersections of said angulatedportions of the lines and the sides of the main playing area, secondholes in the side playing areas, and pegs on the fence panel removablyengageable in said first and second holes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS694,509 Winckfield Mar. 4, 1902 895,875 Mercer Aug. 11, 1908 1,279,691Hayes Sept. 26, 1918 1,312,315 Emmons Aug. 5, 1919 1,674,533 TempletonJune 19, 1928 1,772,583 Barrett Aug. 12, 1930 2,098,124 Yancey Nov. 2,1937 2,637,934 Manoil May 12, 1953

